Hawaiian Airlines hires Hawaii, Tokyo designers for uniforms

Published 1:36 pm, Thursday, June 30, 2016

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaiian Airlines is hiring designers from the Big Island and Tokyo to create new uniforms for its employees.

The Hilo design studio Sig Zane Kaiao will collaborate on the project with the Tokyo design label DESCENDANT.

The designers will work with a committee of Hawaiian Airlines employees to make sure the uniforms are functional. They will create uniforms for more than 5,000 employees including flight attendants, pilots and maintenance crews.

Sig Zane Kaiao is the design studio of Hilo artist and textile designer Sig Zane. It's led by his son Kuhao Zane. DESCENDANT is run by a husband-and-wife team of design consultants, Tetsu and Mikiko Nishiyama.

The uniforms are expected to debut next year. Hawaiian Airlines says it's hiring Affinity Apparel to develop and manufacture the uniforms.